Nic Says He "Strongly Considered" Leaving Love Island With Cierra

Love Island USA Season 7’s most beloved romance almost didn’t happen, Nic Vansteenberghe recently revealed shortly after leaving the villa. Before he started getting serious with Olandria Carthen (whom social media had been fervently shipping him with all season long), Nic was going strong with Cierra Ortega. However, right when he and Cierra agreed they weren’t going to explore any other connections, she was abruptly booted from the show. And Nic was very close to leaving with her.

“I was definitely strongly considering leaving,” Nic said during his July 15 appearance on the Chicks in the Office podcast. He emphasized how confused he was by the sudden removal of the person he had just closed things off with. “It was a completely normal day; she just left. And I was brought and told she was gone. I think it was for some sort of personal reasons. Very vague, was never told the details of anything.”

Though Cierra’s removal wasn’t explained on the show, she has since apologized for resurfaced social media posts in which she used an anti-Asian slur. Other Season 7 islanders have confirmed Nic’s story that producers did not give contestants a solid reason for Cierra’s sudden departure.

This obscurity is what ultimately kept Nic from leaving. “I told myself, ‘If whatever is happening in the outside world is something I don't align with, then [leaving with Cierra] could be perceived as me supporting that,’” Nic said. “So I gave myself the chance to stay in the villa. And coming out now, seeing what it is ... I can have a better perception on it, and come into the space with more knowledge to think about it. It's been a lot, it's been overwhelming, and I'm still taking the time to process everything that I've been seeing.”

Nic finished the season in second place with Olandria as his partner, although the two still aren’t officially boyfriend and girlfriend. So, does he plan to reach out to Cierra now that they’re both back in the real world? “That's something I'm still taking the time to process. I just got my phone back not even 24 hours ago,” Nic said. “That's something that I need to sit down and figure out.”

Well, he’ll very likely be seeing Cierra one way or another, since the Season 7 reunion is coming up on Aug. 25 at 9 p.m. on Peacock.